TITLE

NEW KNIFE/CRUSHING UNIT FOR AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL CRUSHING MACHINES

DESCRIPTION The present patent concerns the cutting tools of brash cutters, of bioshredders, of choppers and shredders for grass, twigs and pruning residues of all sorts, such as leaves, corn stalks and cobs, and of all machines capable of crushing products, even in fields other than the agricultural one. In particular, the patent concerns a new cutting tool, hereinafter referred to as crashing knife/hammer, with cutting edge on the rear and front side (Figure Ia, 2a), or with front, rear and lower cutting edge (Figure Ib, 2b, 3, 4).

Chopping machines are known, commonly used in the farming sector to cut and remove from the soil the plant residues of previous crops and pruning residues in general.

Shredding machines are also known, used for crashing and shredding pruning residues, branches, leaves, twigs, etc. Even the known bioshredders, like the chopping machines, are equipped with rotor shafts and cutting tools. The known choppers essentially consist of a metal chassis, supporting one or more rotor shafts placed horizontally, vertically or diagonally with respect to the soil and orthogonal to the advancing direction of the machine. Said rotor shafts can be applied on towed or self-propelled machines, for example even trailers. With the aid of supports, the cutting tools are fitted to the rotor shafts, which set the cutting tools rotating.

To improve and reduce the number of working cycles, a new type of crashing knife/hammer with front and rear, or front, rear and lower cutting

edge, reversible on the front and rear side, has been designed and implemented.

The main purpose of the present invention is to crush efficiently and quickly the material introduced in the machine, to carry out minute crushing, to prevent machine jamming and to reduce the working times, with less absorption compared to the known cutting tools.

As will be described and claimed in detail below, the new knife/hammer combines its typical cutting function to the function of a crushing hammer, thanks to its thickness and/or to its other dimensions, which give the invention high resistance to foreign bodies and high crushing efficiency, as shown for example in Figures 6a and 6b.

According to a further application described and claimed below, said characteristics of resistance and crushing efficiency of the invention are achieved by assembling two or more of said knives arranged side by side and integral with each other, as shown in Figures 5a and 5b.

The new knife/hammer is positioned vertically, that is, radially to said rotor shaft.

The new knife-hammer is reversible. This characteristic allows the new knife-hammer to be used at least twice with respect to the traditional cutting tools before having to be replaced, with a considerable profit for the user. In fact, first one operates with the front cutting edge of said knife-hammer until this is worn out, then the knife-hammer is removed from the fixing arm or plate, it is turned round so that the unused cutting edge is brought into the working position and can be used again until also this side is worn out. When the new knife-hammer is turned round to employ the unused rear cutting edge, it is important to keep the knife-hammer in the same position on the rotor shaft, because in this way the balance of the rotor shaft is

maintained.

The present invention can be used as vertical cutting edge/s (Vl, V2, ..., Vn, with n being a number equal to or greater than 1) in the known crushing hammers (as shown in Figures 8 a, 8b), to obtain a finer cutting of the product and to make the known crushing hammer more resistant to impacts against foreign bodies. The new knife-hammer can be applied to: brush cutters, bioshredders, choppers and shredders for grass, twigs and pruning residues of all sorts, organic and vegetable waste; - machines that chop and shred grass, branches, corn stalks and cobs, wood of all sorts; machines that shred gardening residues; self-propelled machines, machines with 3 -point hitch, towed machines and machines fitted with any sort of engine (hydraulic, internal combustion, diesel engines); any other type of machine capable of crushing products, even in fields other than the agricultural one; bioshredders for disintegrating organic waste to produce high quality

"humus"; - in the industrial field on machines for shredding different types of materials, such as garbage, furniture, packages, refuse of various kinds and cardboard.

These and other direct and complementary aims have been achieved through the implementation of the new knife-hammer with front and rear, or front, rear and lower cutting edge.

Figures Ia, Ib, Ic ₅ 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4 show several possible implementations of the new knife-hammer.

Figures 5 a and 5b are two views of the version with knives (VS) arranged side by side and integral with each other.

Figures 6a and 6b are two views of a new knife-hammer whose thickness can be compared to that of the known hammers. Figures 8 a and 8b are a three-dimensional view and a front view, respectively, of the new knife applied as a blade to one of the known crushing hammers.

Figures 7a and 7b show in detail two possible versions of a tooth (S) for expelling foreign bodies. Figures 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d show four possible cutting edges of the new knife- hammer (VS), respectively linear, toothed, saw-toothed, with triangular teeth.

Figures 10a and 10b show two possible solutions for fixing the new knife- hammer to the rotor shaft (R). The new knife-hammer (VS) is constituted in its main parts by a support, arm or plate (B) for fixing to the rotor shafts (R) of the machine and by one or more cutting edges, integral with said fixing arm or plate (B) and positioned at the front and rear (Gl, G2), or at the front, rear or bottom (Gl,

G2, G3). According to the invention, the new knife-hammer (VS) can be: a single body obtained by casting and/or pressing; a single body obtained from metal sheet.

The thickness of the new knife-hammer (VS) is preferably equal to or more than 1 mm. The new knife-hammer (VS) combines its typical cutting function, due to the presence of one or more of said cutting edges (Gl, G2, G3), to the function of crushing hammer.

In particular, according to one of the possible solutions represented in Figures 6a and 6b, the thickness,- size, weight and shape of the new knife- hammer (VS) are such that the new knife-hammer itself (VS) features high resistance and crushing efficiency. According to a further possible application of the invention, shown in

Figures 5a and 5b, one or more of said knife-hammer(s) (VS) are arranged side by side and integral with each other, in such a way as to form a single body (M) having suitable size, weight and shape. Said front (Gl), rear (G2) and lower (G3) cutting edges can be: - with linear profile (Gl L, G2L, G3L), as shown in Figure 9a; with toothed profile (GlD, G2D, G3D) and (GlT, G2T, G3T), as shown in Figures 9b and 9d; with saw-toothed profile (Gl S, G2S, G3S), as shown in Figure 9c; with irregular profile or profile in various shapes. The present invention must be manufactured from material capable of resisting the required working processes and suitable for welding. Said fixing arm or plate (B) of the new knife-hammer (VS) can be: articulated with pivot: as shown in Figure 10a, said fixing arm or plate (B) is articulated, having at least one pivot (P) for connection to said rotor shaft (R). In this way said knife-hammer (VS) is free to swing on said pivot (P) of the fixing arm or plate (B) during the rotation of the rotor shaft (Figure 10a); fixed and/or welded to the rotor shaft (R): as shown in Figure 10b, said fixing arm or plate (B) is integrally fastened and/or welded to said rotor shaft (R), which means that said knife-hammer (VS) remains integral with the rotor shaft (R) itself and does not swing during rotation.

The preferred embodiments of said new knife- hammer (VS) with cutting edges on two or more sides are described here below. Note that the Figures from 1 to 10 attached herewith show three-dimensional views of various possible technical solutions for the implementation of the new knife- hammer.

Said figures are to be considered exclusively indicative and are given purely as examples without limitation.

EMBODIMENT 1 : reference figures 1 a, Ib, 1 c.

Said new knife-hammer (VS) comprises two cutting edges, a front one (Gl) and a rear one (G2), arranged parallel to each other and without lower cutting edge (Figure Ia).

Alternatively, said new knife-hammer (VS) may comprise front (Gl) and rear (G2) parallel cutting edges and a lower cutting edge (G3) (Figure Ib).

The new knife/hammer (VS) is positioned vertically, that is, radially to said rotor shaft (R).

The new knife-hammer (VS) may also comprise, near its base, that is, near its lower part, one or more teeth (S) for expelling foreign bodies, represented in detail in Figures 7a and 7b.

EMBODIMENT 2: reference figures 2a, 2b, 2c. According to a further embodiment, the new knife-hammer (VS) comprises two cutting edges, a front one (Gl) and a rear one (G2), coplanar and converging, that is, inclined with respect to each other and without lower cutting edge (Figure 2a).

Alternatively, said new knife-hammer (VS) may comprise front (Gl) and rear (G2) coplanar and converging cutting edges and a lower cutting edge

(G3) (Figure 2b, 2c).

Said new knife/hammer (VS) is positioned vertically, that is, radially to said

rotor shaft (R).

The new knife-hammer (VS) may also comprise, near its base, that is, near its most external part, one or more teeth (S) for expelling foreign bodies, represented in detail in Figures 7a and 7b. EMBODIMENT 3 : reference figures 3a and 3b.

According to a further embodiment, the new knife-hammer (VS) comprises a single continuous front, rear and lower cutting edge (GC) that follows a curved line.

The new knife/hammer (VS) is positioned vertically, that is, radially to said rotor shaft (R).

The new knife-hammer (VS) carried out as described in Figures 3 a and 3b may be equipped with the teeth (S) for expelling foreign bodies, represented in detail in Figure 7a and in Figure 7b.

EMBODIMENT 4: reference figure 4. According to a further embodiment, the new knife-hammer (VS) comprises a front one cutting edge (Gl) and a rear cutting edge (G2), and a lower protrusion (Gi), whose shape is such as to ensure better crushing results and reduced resistance of the product against the knife-hammer.

The new knife/hammer (VS) is positioned vertically, that is, radially to said rotor shaft (R).

The solutions described above have been studied to avoid jamming caused by the product or by non-crushed product residues that could prevent the correct rotation of the rotor shaft.

In practice, the new knife-hammer described herein makes it possible to achieve optimal results, never obtained before by means of known cutting tools, as it produces less compact residues, in less time and with less power costs.

In this way the power consumption and the wear of the new knife-hammer are limited, both when it is used alone and when it is applied to the known crushing hammers as vertical cutting edge/s and therefore it can be used for longer periods of time.

Consequently, with reference to the above description and to the attached drawings, the following claims are expressed.